BEIJING (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – A pregnant woman’s relatives and a hospital in Yulin, Shaanxi province, are blaming each other for rejecting the woman’s request to have a caesarean section, which allegedly led to her jumping to her death from the fifth floor of the hospital.

The 26-year-old woman, Ms Ma Rongrong, who was a week away from delivery, was admitted to the First Hospital of Yulin to give birth on Aug 30, the hospital said in a statement on Sunday (Sept 3).

Medical checks showed that the baby’s head was bigger than normal, suggesting higher risks during natural birth, the statement said.

Ms Ma’s doctor advised her and her family to have a caesarean section, but her family refused and signed a document at the hospital confirming that Ms Ma would deliver naturally, the statement said.

There has been no public statement on why the family refused a caesarian section, whether due to cost or a demand “traditional birth”. Ms. Ma wanted a caesarian, but her wishes were ignored.